NIBRT

The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (‘NIBRT’) is a global centre of excellence, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland that provides training and research solutions to the global biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector. NIBRT arose from an innovative collaboration between University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and the Institute of Technology, Sligo, with core funding from the Government of Ireland through Ireland’s inward investment agency, IDA Ireland. NIBRT’s 8,300 m² facility has over 100 employees currently and houses fully operational pilot plants for biologics manufacturing training to industry and education, multiple research laboratories focussed on biopharmaceuticals manufacturing research and a dedicated facility focused on the early-stage development of biologics and advanced therapy products. How employees collaborate it being core to our very existence! NIBRT arose from an innovative collaboration between University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and the Institute of Technology, Sligo, with core funding from the Government of Ireland through Ireland’s inward investment agency, IDA Ireland. NIBRT’s success is based on collaboration, internally and externally. For employees and students, collaboration is facilitated by working in teams within a department, by working on scientific projects as a team or by joining cross functional teams to work on internal NIBRT projects. By way of example, NIBRT currently has 7 cross functional teams working on things like sustainability, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion, community outreach etc. A positive vision for the future NIBRT has a strong track record of success and a consistent approach to open and transparent communication with employees. NIBRT employees were consulted on the design of the new Strategic Plan which launched in Jan 2024 and it includes a clear vision for the future. The CEO circulates NIBRT Board reports (which includes financial and non-financial OKRs) to all employees so there is full transparency on the activity and progression of the organisation against the aforementioned vision. The NIBRT CEO publishes the organisational objectives for the year ahead and regularly updates employees throughout the year. Finally, NIBRT invest in the future; upskilling people, embracing new technologies, upgrading and expanding our facility. How values are demonstrated The core values of the organisation were captured and articulated in 2019 by a cross functional team of employees and management. They represented what already existed in the organisation, the culture that had been created by the people in the organisation. The values very much support a strong and clear vision and mission to which every employee plays an important role. Employees are encouraged to reflect on their performance through the lens of our values and individuals are celebrated with culture awards for exemplifying the values in their contributions to NIBRT. How employees are respected One of our values is Respect and it is core to how people in NIBRT interact with each other. NIBRT ensures that all voices are heard and ideas valued by creating multiple channels through which people with different communication preferences can voice their ideas or concerns. Firstly, there is a culture of open communication with all departments and leaders, we occupy a small office space and can speak to each other at any time. We request that managers hold Team meetings and regular 121s with employees. We hold Town Hall meetings quarterly, we operate a HR inbox and have a very approachable HR team who boast a 95% satisfaction rate from employees. We run regular surveys to allow people make suggestions. Employees are invited to sit on working groups and are encouraged to actively participate. The CEO has recently invited all employees to a CEO Coffee Chat to hear first hand from employees . How employees are supported Making it a priority for NIBRT leaders. NIBRT, positioned to work between both academia and industry with a state of the art facility, provide employees with a unique opportunity to maxmise their potential and influence their career trajectory during their time working here. Providing generous individual training and development budgets, running additional general upskilling training courses accessible to all employees and students, requesting all employees participate in an annual Performance & Career Development Planning process and by supporting employees to obtain further qualifications (Masters, PhD) are the official supports offered to employees. In addition, we encourage employees to work on project teams to broaden their experience in to other subject matter and skill sets. How leadership demonstrates values holding himself and others accountable to them. Whether this is through official process or in decision making, NIBRT’s focus on Collaboration, Innovation, Respect, Client Focus, Learning, Excellence and Safety is exemplified by our CEO’s approach. Programs and practices many!! You can view official information on our website https://www.nibrt.ie/careers/ or by searching #lifeatnibrt in LinkedIn to get a better insight in to what it is like to work at NIBRT. NIBRT set People Objectives annually that aim to continually improve programs and practices in place in our organisation to create an environment that people love to work in. We have a calendar of events to focus on employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, learning and career development, socialising, community outreach and many more. Benefits NIBRT offer over 40 benefits to employees that aim to support employees’ work-life harmony, financial security, career development and health and wellbeing. A recent independent review of our offering shows that NIBRT is at or above market in all of our employee benefits. The benefits that are unique to NIBRT is our award winning Hybrid Working Framework which provides extensive flexibilities and supports for working when and where you are most productive. NIBRT also boasts a premium level offering with regard to the level of investment in individual training and development supports annually. We also have superb Christmas parties! Pandemic response NIBRT’s response to Covid was exemplary. Protecting all jobs, providing employees with home office equipment, offering additional emotional support to isolated employees as well as introducing new technologies and policies to keep employees connected, NIBRT employees rated the support they got from their employer during this time as 5 star. The majority of these policies continue today. Our award winning Hybrid Working Framework supports home office set up for all employees, provides guidance on the Right to Disconnect, provides for temporary remote working from non-Irish jurisdictions, provides flexibilities on working hours, creates occasions on site to bring people together to socialise and collaborate.